 Traditions and customs |
The ceremonies of the Uzbek people have been formed for many centuries as a result of a complicated fusion of cultural habits and traditions of all the tribes and nations which took part in the ethnography of the Uzbeks. They are very original, colourful and versatile and have their roots in clan and tribal patriarchal relations. A great number of ceremonies accompany the family life and it is associated with the birth and the upbringing of a child, celebration and funerals. A special place is held by the ceremonies connected with the birth and upbringing of children and also with marriage. Upon the adoption of Islam many family customs were influenced by it and many Muslim religion rituals become a part of Uzbek people's lives.
| HOW TO VISIT AN UZBEK HOME? |
If you are invited for lunch or dinner, please accept the invitation and arrive on time. When visiting a local family it is acceptable to bring a bottle of good wine or other drink and some kind of gift such as chocolates, pens, books, records, videocassettes, etc. which will be enjoyed by the host's family. The greeting ceremony takes a long time. Hand shaking is usually done by men only and with women if they are the first to offer the hand. For people who are sitting further away, a gesture of greeting is made by putting your right hand on your heart, making a slight bow with your head. During the greeting "ceremony", questions are asked about the host's relatives, health, work, home and just about everything else concerning him and his household. Admiring the ladies is not public in oriental countries.
Traditionally, the shoes are left when entering the house. If the meal is served in the garden, everyone sits on a low supa (it looks like a double bed), covered with flat mattresses called korpas. In that case, you should better take off your shoes and sit down as pointed by the host. The further you sit from the entrance to the room or garden, the more honoured you are. You may stretch your legs under the table and support yourself with cushions behind you and under your elbow. The traditional respect for elderly people and superiority of men is obvious. In rural areas, when entertaining guests, women do not usually share the table with men and take part in their conversation. They have a separate table. The larger cities are, however, more liberal. If you are going to visit with your "partner", she could sit next to you at the men's table, and the host will invite his wife to join this table as well. First the candies and tea will be served. Then, not before long, the table will be covered with various hot dishes, vegetables, fruit and a variety of cool drinks, and sometimes alcohol.
The most popular Uzbek dish is Plov. It is served on a large dish (lagan) placed in the centre of the table. Usually everybody eats from one dish, since eating from one dish is considered to make people feel intimate, like one big family. You will not offend anyone, however, if you serve some plov onto your plate from the nearest dish. Sometimes plov is eaten with the right hand, but eating with a spoon or fork is common. Be prepared to eat a lot of food! It will be very tasty, since Uzbek food developed during the time of the Great Silk Road and has combined the best ancient tastes of Asia.
During the meal a special round bread, called non, is served. There are many traditions connected to Uzbek bread. It is never cut with a knife. At the start of the meal, it is broken into pieces by hand and placed on the table near each place setting. Try not to place bread upside down (with its flat side up), by placing it the right way up will earn you the respect of the host and those around you. Uzbek people consider bread to be holy and greatly respected.
While at the table you may smoke under the host's permission or if he starts to smoke first. Smoking is usually done outside. There is a rule to thank the host for tasty meal, nice party and kind regards within his guests. Drinking strong alcoholic drinks is accompanied by toasts to friendship between people, mutually beneficial cooperation, the host, and his family's health. After the spoken toast, you need to clink your glass or piola (Uzbek tea cup) with all the guests and drink to the end, especially if you are the person raising the toast. If there are a number of quests present, you may clink your glass only with those around you. Another feature of Uzbek people is their appreciation of humour. Most Uzbeks appreciate a good joke, they also enjoy it if you combine a funny story with you toast. | You will be served tea throughout the meal (coffee is not very popular in Uzbekistan, though it may be served if you request it). The host fills your piola (Uzbek tea cup) by himself for only one-third. The fewer is tea, the sooner it cools down. This is also a sign of respect in the hot Asian climate. Always take you piola from the host, with your right hand, with your left hand on your heart and thank him with the key word "rakhmat" - "thank you". The host first pours tea into the piola and then back into the teapot. It is done 3 times. The reason is to stir the tea leaves, making the tea stronger. Then the host fills each piola, serving every guest with the greatest respect one at a time.
Be prepared to be offered mountains of food, midnight will come and go unnoticed around an Uzbek dinner table. Uzbek people will always accompany you (where possible) to your home or try and persuade you to spend the night. This is part of Uzbek hospitality. If you need to leave early, you need to ask the host giving him a plausible excuse so as not to offend him. Don't be in too much of a hurry to leave the table. Before leaving the table, the host, who is usually the oldest at the table, will say the prayer for the success of the future cooperation, peace and friendship. Sometimes a pray is also said at the beginning of a meal. If you are the oldest quest at the table, you could offer, or you might be requested to offer up the prayer yourself.
| WEDDING |
Traditionally the wedding celebration plays an important part in the life of Uzbeks and usually is celebrated in a special way. The crucial point in the wedding ceremonies is the moving of the bride from the parents' home to the bridegroom's house. On the day of the wedding, a celebration plov is arranged in the bride's house, which is cooked in the bridegroom's house and then sent to the fiancee. On the wedding day the bridegroom wears 'sarpo' (clothes and footwear given as presents to him), after that he and his friends go to the bride's parents for greetings.
| MORNING PLOV |
The ceremony of the morning plov takes place during celebrations and also as a commemoration for the dead. Organisers of the celebration fix a date and time for morning plov. Invitations are sent to the relatives, neighbours and friends. The morning plov should be ready by the time of completing the morning prayers, since the first guests should be those who take part in the morning prayers. Upon the end of the ceremony the honoured guests get presents. Commemorative plov differs from the celebration plov by the fact that the guests recite the suras from the Koran and remember the deceased. The meal ends up also by reciting the Koran. It should be noted that both the celebration and commemorative plovs are served by men only.
| DRESS |
Since ancient times the peculiar features in clothing of the local people have been determined by the climatic and life conditions as well as clan and tribal conditions. Traditional men's clothes consists of a warm quilted robe, chapan, belted with kerchief, a scull cap and of high boots made of fine leather. Women's national costume consists of a robe, the functional dress of a simple cut from khan-atlas and baggy trousers narrowed in the bottom. Women's headdress consists of three main elements: a hat, kerchief, and turban. Holiday dress for a woman differs from daily attire in its high quality and beautiful fabrics. Uzbek men usually wear sombre colours, and women are fond of dresses in sparkly cloth, often worn as a knee-length gown with trousers of the same material underneath. |
